Apparatus for cleaning metal articles.



J. D. PHILLIPS & c. HAMBUEGHBN. APPARATUS FOR CLEANING METAL ARTICLES.

APPLICATION ULEB AUG.6,190%.

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APPARATUS ron CLEANING METAL ABTIGLBS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6. 1909.

Ptend Jan. 1,1, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

" UNITED STATES PATENT A OFFICE.A

i. vJAMES D. PHILLIPS AND CARL HAMBUECHEN, F MADISON, VISCONSIN.

y l Application tiled August G,

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING METAL ARTICLS.

` To all 'whom il 'may Concern.

Specication of Letters Patent,

Patented Jan. 1 1, 1910.

1869. Serial No. 511,541.

i central section illustrating the principle of Bc it. known that we, Jules l). lnnaars one embodiment of the invention; Fi 2. is and Cam. ll.\uncrcxu:.\', citizens of the a similar' view on line .Z-2 of Fig. gd'ig. United States, residing at Madison, in thc is a plan view of the apparatus shown in .5 county of Dane and tate ot il'istronsiinhave iL Fig. '2; Figs. 4, 5, are vertical sectional 60A rinvented certain new and useful Improvet views of modified types of ap aratus; Fig. Y ments in Apparatus forv Cleaning Metal r- 2 t is a vertical sectional view o ,a vessel conticles, of which the following is a speciiicataining a corrugated or ribbed sheet of election. ttropositive metal; Fig. T is a plan view of This` invention'relates to the cleaning of the sheet shown in Fig. G; Figs. 8., 9 are 455 l tarnished metallic surfaces; the object ot the modilicd forms of the electropositive metal;

invention being the provision of meansl^` ig. ll0 isavertical sectional view ofaxnodii whereby silver, gold and other metallic artitied form of apparatus; Figs. 1l and 19. being Y p cles may be quickly and eilectirely cleaned plan and end views of a supporting frame; Y preparatory to polishing. and Figs. 13 and 14 are a plan and partial 70 l 1t has been heretofore proposed (British end view of still another modified form of patent No. 7027 of 1905 to llansford) to frame. Y clean silver a rtieles by innncrsing them in l an elcctropositive metal, as. for example n a hot alkaline solution in a tin-lined vessel, zinc, be maintained in ettective electrical conwhereby the -silver becomes the cathode of tact with a metal or alloy electronegative 75 a voltaic couple., and the coating or tarnish thereto. for example, tin, silver, Solder, is elcctrolytically reduced and rendered easy etc., the latter metal or alloy will remain of removal. lt has` also been proposed to bright, and maybe used to secure an effective use instead of tin-lined vessels, dishes of electrical contact with the article to be i aluminum or metallic plates or baskets'as cleaned. Thisvmctal or alloy through which 80 anodes. it is found in practice that such l the contact made between the metal to be lV metallic anodes become coated after a short l cleaned and the cleaning metal will be termed period of use with a film or coating which is i for convenience the auxiliary metal. Thel it dilicult to remove, and which prevents efauxiliary metal may be the saine as the metal fcctive electrical contact; between the article t to be cleaned, or electropositive or electro- 35 to bc cleaned and the clectrojxositive metal, e negative thereto, itbeing essential merely as tin or aluminum. According to the prcsthat it be electronegative to the cleaning ent invention the efficiency of the cleansing metal. operation is maintained by the provision of Referring to Fig. 1, l represents a vessel means whereby etiective electrical connection which may be ofenamcled ware; 2 is thc 9o is at. all times 'secured between the elcctroarticle to be cleaned, for example a silver positive metal, as zinc. aluminum or tin, dish; 3 is the cleaning metal, consisting in hereafter referred to as the cleaningr metal this rase of a zinc rod having,r a terminal 4; and thc silver or other articles to be cleaned. 5 is the auxiliary metal which may be of tin, p 4o lVe have found as the result of numerous lead, silver, etc.; and (i is a wire establishing 95 'experiments that the coating or film formed contact between the cleaning and auxiliary upon the cleaning metal is porous in charmetals. If now an alkaline solution, as for actcr and does not seriously interfere with example a solution prepared by dissolving the electrolytic action, provided eiicctive one tablespoonful of baking soda. and oneelectrical connection is secured between the halt tablespoontul of common salt in one 10o cleaning metal and the metal to be quart of water, bc poured into the'vessel I, cleaned: the film docs however prevent such au clectrolytie action will be. set up by which contact., and-our invention resides in the thev cleaning metal 3 will tend to pass into i provision of means whereby this detect ma)l solution, the auxiliary metal 5 being kept be Overcome, bright and therefore making etl'cctive elcc- 105 For a full understanding of the invention trical contact with the article 2, which will refcrenccis` made to the accompanying drawbe quickly cleaned. A'lhe cleaning 'metal 3 ing illustrating certain applications of our will become coated with the porous lihn, as i invention. i above described, but the arrangement is such- In said drawings z-Figure 1 is a vertical that this film in no way impairs the elec- 110 |.l

i fue. ...a

, sublstaiitialloss of eiiiciency. The solution is preferably but not necessarily heated.

In the above example the contact between thev cleaning and auxiliary metalsis made outside the solution and is of a temporary character, but this is not essential. The disposition of parts may be varied almost indefinitely, and in the drawing it has been y attempted only to show by Way of example a feiv etl'ective embodiments of the principle above illustrated.

In Figs. 2 and 3, 1 represents avessel lwhich may be ofV tin, enameled ware, or other material, and 3 a corrugated or ribbed disk or sheet of'an electropositive metal, as zinc or aluminum, lying loosely in the bottoni of the vessel 1. The upper portionsI of the ridges-or corrugations are tinned or soldei'ed as indicated. at 5", this tin or solder constituting the auxiliary metal, and remaining bright and in condition to make etlective electrical contact with tarnished metal articles placed in the vessel 1. 'If desired the -dower port-ions of the corrugations may also he tinned or soldered as shown, thereby not only making the plates reversible, but in case the vessel l is of tin, establishing good contact between it. and the cleaning metal, and vthereby extending the effective surface 'by which contact may be made with the article to he cleaned; for the vessel itself acts in this case as an auxiliary metal. Solder is advantageously used as the auxiliary metal, as it. is not. readily coated, and any coating formed is non-adherent and readily removed. A device of larger capacity and suited for hotels or restaurants is shown in Fig. 4 in which 1* is a vessel which may be cf` tin,

i granite ware, etc., and 3" a zinc vessel tting loosely therein and having a corrugated bottom, which may if desired be separable from the vessel to facilitate cleaning. The ridges projecting into the vessel 3" are soldered as indicated at 5i providing a bright contact with silver or other articles to be cleaned; solder ma Y also he applied to the lower faces of the riiges but this is not essential. The

kcorrugated bottom is preferabljy perforated as indicated at 6 to permit the solution to drain away When it is lifted.

Another apparatus of large effective area is shown in Fig. 5 in which 3c is a zinc vessel in which a basket 5 of t-iiined or nickel plated Wire is supported, thc vessel and basket being in good electrical contact. As shown, such contact is secured by attaching i0 to a tin 'st-rip or hand 9 encircling the liashet, several vcrticiily disposed tin projec- Lions 9. the lower ei ges of which rest upon a tin rim or bead 7, folded over` the upper edge of ille zinc vessel 3c or otherwise attached thereto. The contact between the head 7 and the projections 8 is certaiinmore particularly when the weight of the silver is added to that of the basket.

It will be'observed that in the einliodif ments of the invention illustrated in Figs. 2-5, inclusive, the auxiliary metal presents curved or projecting surfaces at iis points or parts ot contact with the article to be cleaned, this resultiii in a diminished area of contact, and itis ound, an improved efficiency of Contact, the points, lines orrsurfaces of contact .being kept bright and clean by friction.

The results above described are also attainable, although less perfectly, by the use of mixed metals or alloys, as for example an alloyof zinc with scout 5% or' tin; other alloys of zinc and tin, or alloys of aluminum with zinc and of zinc with lead have also i been used. The electronegative metal seems in such cases to act as an auxiliary metal to facilitate the cleansing operation and to iiiaintain the eliciency of the cle'aniiig metal.

By giving a pro er form to the cleaning to use, and in all cases such projecting portions are cleaned with ease as compare the plane surfaces heretofore used by simply wiping or rubbin them. For example Figs. G, 7 show a circu arly corrugated plate 3** of zinc or other electro ositive cleaning metal, perforated at. 6 to Facilitate draining, and adapted for use in conjunction with a dishpan or like vessel l. The upper convex Surfaces or ridges are abradcd and kept brirfht. in use by the friction of the articles to lone cleaned. In Fig. 8 a similar result is secured by the provision of transverse ribs or closed corrugatioiis 10 projecting np- Wiirdly from the zinc or aluminum sheet 3; and in the construction of Fig. 9 points 11 are provided by stamping the sheet. il of with Figs. 10, 11 and 12 show still another A modified form of apparatus in which there is located in the containing vessel a frame rio formi-il of tinneil or nickel-plated wires n;

Tho wires b form the side; of the frame :unl arc provided with loup for the pnrpo-i of reveiving the solder Nicnring tliv franw tu the hottoni'of the vessel. The ro hai-hV l form projections on which thc articles to tw cleaned may rest. i

FigS. 13 and 14 show a circular .forni of frame mail@ of tiniied or nickel-plutot wire. tlie outer rim e having projecting fcet 7' into which the securing solder can lie dropped. Transversely arranged cross wirel and g form suitable snp oitmg inemliers for the articles to be clean@ and are loopeil i around therim wire a to brace the frame together.

We claim:

l. Apparatus for cleaning tarnished metal articles comprising a cleaning metal electra positive to the articles to bev cleaned anal provided with projectingportions presenting clean Surfaces for making Contact with said articles.

2. Apparatus for cleaning tarnished metal articles comprising a cleaning metal electropositivc to the articles to he elcancrl and provided with ribs or corrngations pri-sentingr;r clean surfaces for mal-:ing contat-t with Saul articles.

3, Apparatus for cleaning tarnished ini-tal articles: comprising a cleaning metal electropositive to tlic articles to be c.e:ine l and pro- "vidwl Vwith projecting portioii adapted to make contact. with Said article.;r Saul ;pro jcctin y portions having ay metallic sui-*face electronegative to said cleaning' metal.

4. Apparatus for clcaning tarnished inetal article@A comprising aY rilibeil or corrugated plate of a metal electropositive t0 the articleto he cleaned, the convex surfaces of f the corrngations having a coat-ing of an l electronegative metal.

In tcatimony whereof, we aflia our Sig l natures in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES I). PHLLIPS. CARL IIA'MBUECHFN.

llf'itnesses: t A. D. STANCLIFF, 1 man B. CnomN. 

